Achievement 4 by @edmund.nef Task : Applying Markdowns

Let Us Prevent Covid-19 from Taking Over Our World.

I will like to take this very big opportunity of applying markdown to talk about the unprecedented pandemic that brought the whole world into a stationary mode called the COVID-19 pandemic. No matter the geographical location of an individual weather with internet connectivity or not, I strongly believe almost everyone have heard of the Covid-19 pandemic.

I also strongly believe that no matter who you are, you will be alarmed for the first time of hearing about the pandemic and what it does to mankind. For this reason, I will be talking about the Covid-19-pandemic specifically where it originated from, the harm it has caused, symptoms, , the harm it has caused, symptoms, statistics, treatment and others but some statistics will be restricted to my country Ghana.

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What is covid-19 pandemic.

Covid-19 is a disease which is contagious and one can attract it through severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2). The name pandemic was attached to it because it was an epidemic that affected the whole world hence the name Covid-19 pandemic.

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Where it originated from?

Almost every reading this post I believe have an idea about the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic. The idea might be right or wrong but originally the diseases was first identified in Wuhan, China. As a result of this, many people directly conclude that the diseases originated from Wuhan, China but for me, I personally think that where the diseases was first diagnosed does not mean that is the origin but rather research has to conclude on it.

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How can one get infected?

The virus according to researchers and scientist spread mainly from persons to person and below are the ways that this could happen;

Airborne transmission; 3 hours is the maximum hours that the virus can survive in the air when it is released out by an individual infected. Within this three hour it can get into the lungs of anybody that comes into contact and that person can get infect if it gets through the nose of mouth.

Droplets of aerosols; one can get infected when an infected person sneezes, talks, coughs, droplets or tiny particles called aerosols. Anybody who is found within six feet distance can be affected when they breath or swallow these droplets and particles.

Surface transmission; Torching surfaces that are affected by the virus can cause one to attract the virus. These surfaces may include countertops, doorknobs, nose, mouth, eyes. It is known that the virus can survive on plastic and stainless surfaces for a maximum of three days hence if one comes into contact with them within this three days, the person might be infected.

Fecal-oral; Research have shown that the virus particles are present in fecal matters. Although researchers have not yet proven that the virus found in this fecal matters can cause an individual to be infected, it is advisable to stay away from the fecal matters as possible because viruses re really dangerous.

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How does the virus spread?

The virus can spread in different ways ranging from person to person and pets to persons. As a result of this it is possible that one who is infected can trace back and know the person who possibly infected him. A few pests that have tested positive do not show the symptoms but can transfer the virus other animals.

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Symptoms of the virus

The symptoms of the virus are classified in three ways

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How to Protect Yourself

I am among the people who strongly believe in the saying that prevention is better than cure. Therefore, it is very important for every individual to protect himself or herself from been infected. Researchers who have studied the virus, knowing it function and how it works came out with some possible ways we can prevent the diseases from spreading among ourselves which include the following;

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Wear a face mask.

Wearing face masks has proven to be one of the effective ways to prevent one from getting the virus. According to researchers when two peoples are chatting with their face mask on and one is infected, the possibility of the other person been infected is less than 10%, if the infected person is wearing his mask and the uninfected person is wearing then the possibility to become infected is less than 60% and if the person wearing it is uninfected then is below 50.

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According to WHO the following are the appropriate steps to put on and remove our nose masks;

How to put on a medical mask:

1. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water before touching the mask.
2. Examine the mask for tears or holes; do not use a mask that has been worn before or that has been damaged.
3. Verify which side is the top – this is usually where the metal strip is.
4. Then, identify the inside of the mask, which is usually the white side.
5. Place the mask over your face, ensuring that it completely covers your nose, mouth, and chin with no gaps between your face and the mask. Place the straps behind your ears or behind your back. Crossing the straps will result in holes on the sides of the mask.
6. Pinch the metal strip so it moulds to the shape of your nose.
7. To prevent contamination, do not touch the front of the mask when wearing it; if you do, wash your hands immediately.

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How to take off a medical mask:

1. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water before touching the mask
2. Remove the straps from behind the head or ears, without touching the front of the mask.
3. As you remove the mask, lean forward and pull the mask away from your face.
4. Medical masks are intended for one-time use only; discard the mask as soon as possible, preferably in a closed bin.
5. Clean your hands after touching the mask.
6. Be aware of the condition of the mask; replace it if it gets soiled or damp.

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Wash your hands often.

This is one of the best ways to deal with the virus and possibly to get rid of it. Washing your hand with soap under running water not less than 30 seconds can go a very long way to prevent one from contracting the disease. This is because a virus contracted with the hands can and will be appropriately removed or kill buy using soap and water or disinfectant. It is also advisable to use alcohol base hand sanitizers in areas where there are no washing soap the necessary requirement are not present. for every five to six times of application of the alcohol base hand sanitizer, it is advisable to wash the hands with soap under running water.

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Avoid travel when possible.

Some will definitely ask, how will avoiding traveling can help prevent the virus? I will say it can prevent it in several ways, and one of them is it helps you to have less contact with people and surfaces and hence the possibility for you contracting the diseases reduces. Taking our mind back to the top the possible ways of contracting the diseases includes coming into contact with infected people. This is especially important if you or someone you live with is older or has a health condition that raises the chances of the virus.

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Practice social distancing.

It is advisable to make phone calls, use emails, test messages and social media platforms for communication instead of visiting family and friends to talk person to person. If it a must for you to meet person to person, then a distance of at least 6feet should be in between the individuals.

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Do your shopping online if possible.

The whole idea is to prevent people from going into contact with others. Although that does not guarantee 100% protection, it gives an individual over 80% assurance that he or she is safe. And this is one of the possible ways to combat the virus. So it is advisable that people should try as much as possible as they can to shop online and order for what they need especially for groceries or drugstore items. Shopping online is easy and sometimes prices are affordable to online. It also help to prevent the individual from over spending and protect the environment because transportation will be saved and carbon monoxide that would have been releases from the car that you would have use into the atmosphere would not have.

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Keep your pets outside and Clean up their waste properly.

it is known that pest can also carry this virus hence it advisable to get into contact with them less and keep your pets away from people and livestock. Cats should spend as much time as possible indoors to prevent them spreading the virus if they are infected. Hands must be washed afterward and before you touch them, their food, or their toys.

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Work from home if you can.

One of the best way to deal with this virus is to work from home which indirectly means staying at home. Why am I saying this? There are a lot of reason to back this saying but would not want to talk about them all hence I will take only one and talk about it. Working from home is to prevent one from coming into contact with a lot of people, as a result of this there is less possibility for one to contract the virus from the other person. In this case one is preventing the disease in three ways that is the airborne transmission, transmission droplets of aerosols and surface transmission. It is therefore advisable to do online business like steemit and avoid the risk of going out.

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Take the vaccines if available.

Researcher and scientist have done their part by working tirelessly to come out with vaccine, I therefore entreat that if the vaccine is available in your community, you go for the vaccine and be vaccinated. When this happen, it means that that individual system will be able to fight the virus and deactivate it action. However, even with the vaccine, it is possible to contract and spread the virus. Hence the best way to slow the spread and prevent it is to limit your contact with other people as described above. As at may 7th 2021around the hours of 4:00pm, a total of 852,047 Covid-19 Vaccines has been administered in Ghana. This tells us that the vaccine is safe and will help fight the virus. hence I will entreat all to make themselves available for vaccination when the right time comes to ensure the virus is eradicated from the system in the near future.

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Statistics

Ghana statistics on Covid-19 recovery by region from March 2020-May 2021 according to the Ghana health service communication team. source
The table below shows statistical analysis of Ghana cases.

Region	Cases	Recovered or Discharged	Active Cases
Ahafo	718	692	6
Ashanti	15,553	15,302	104
Bono	1,406	1360	7
Bono East	1,436	1,404	8
Central	3,435	3,308	78
Eastern	4,208	4118	18
Greater Accra	51,412	50,273	890
North East	228	219	0
Northern	1,654	1,625	0
Oti	431	416	9
Savannah	123	118	3
Upper East	1,319	1,275	0
Upper West	499	479	1
Volta	2,501	2,447	28
Western	5,868	5,782	46
Western North	876	848	20
International travelers(KIA)	1,723	1,633	90
TOTAL	93,390	91,299	1308

conclusion.

I strongly believe that when all this measures are being put in place the virus will not be able to affect such a great number of people as it has done in the near future. I also believe that the vaccine is one of the best ways to prevent the virus from spreading as a result I will entreat all to make themselves available for vaccination. Let’s come together and obey the measures that has been put in place by WHO to prevent the virus from taking over our world.

Note

"Being vaccinated does not mean that we can throw caution to the wind and put ourselves and others at risk, particularly because research is still ongoing into how much vaccines protect not only against disease but also against infection and transmission." source
-World Health Organization (WHO)

References
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Your attention to my post is appreciated.